The Sound of Silence
by Shiva555
Summary: Naruto, a high school senior, must do a report on a mental patient, Sasuke. But how do you write about someone who hasn’t spoken a word in years…Is it possible for love to bloom between two polar opposites? Yaoi Sasuke and Naruto
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: This is an AU story. Most of this fic will revolve around Naruto and Sasuke and their relationship. Naruto is seventeen, Sasuke is eighteen.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto as much as I may wish to. So don't sue me; I don't have any rights! I'm simply writing this for my own pleasure!**

_Summary: Naruto a senior in high school must do a report on a mental patient, Sasuke. But how do you write about someone who hasn't spoken a word in years…and how did Naruto end up caring about him?_

**The Sound of Silence**

_Chapter One: Extra Credit_

"Naruto pay attention already!" Naruto Uzumaki snapped to attention and fixed his blue eyes on his irate teacher. He brushed an errant blonde strand of hair out of his eyes. "Do you even want to pass this class! If you don't than you're not going to graduate!"

Naruto was in danger of failing. It wasn't because he was slacking off or even that he was skipping classes. His grandfather, his only living relative and who he currently resided with, was terminally ill.

Not wanting his grandfather to suffer alone and fearing that staying away for too long would result in his grandfather's passing, Naruto quickly used up all his sick days to stay with his ailing relative.

Because Naruto spent so much time with his grandfather he missed tons of lessons and was barely able to complete all of the work he missed. And even if he did make up tests and such, he usually didn't do well.

If he failed one more class than he was going to have to repeat the school year, and wouldn't graduate. And Naruto wanted to, because than he would be free from school and could spend all of his time by his grandfather's side.

Psychology was a class that Naruto had always enjoyed, but it was also the class he was closest to failing. His current grade was a 60, and the end of the term was fast approaching. If he didn't do something, and soon, than he was going to fail the class. This was why Naruto had stayed after, so that he could plead for extra credit, or anything to ensure he wouldn't flunk.

"I do care, Miss. That's why I asked you if I could do anything, even an extra project, for points."

Naruto sweated under his teacher's intense stare. She sighed and walked over to her desk and rifled through some papers. A short while later she picked up a sheet of paper and smiled triumphantly. Naruto tried not to let his hope show.

"Due to extenuating circumstances on your part, Naruto, I'll give you the chance for those points. In Mercer Medical Facilities there's a teenager maybe a year older than you in the psych ward who hasn't spoken a word in nearly three years. I want you to observe him for a month and write an essay on the patient, including his past."

Naruto smiled, relieved. It faded, however, when what his teacher said pierced through his jubilation. "How can I find out about his past if he hasn't spoken in three years? Are there medical records?"

She smiled. "That's for you to find out, Naruto. A good portion of this project involves detective work. You're dismissed, Naruto."

His hope shattered and his spirits flagging, Naruto left.

&((&&(()(&

Sakura Haruno, one of Naruto's closest friends and crush, waited outside the classroom and ran after her friend when he walked right by her. Naruto turned when he heard his name, and managed to smile, though it was half-hearted.

"What is she having you do? Or is she going to let you fail?"

"Extra credit. I have to observe some person who hasn't said anything in three years and find out about his past. Which is impossible! At this rate I'm going to stay back!"

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered sympathetically. She had been Naruto's friend since the second grade, and had helped Naruto through some of the toughest moments of his life. She had been with Naruto when he had heard that his parents had died in a car crash. And she was doing her best to help Naruto cope with the inevitable death of his grandfather.

"It's okay, Sakura. I'll manage somehow. I'm going to go and see my grandfather."

)(U&

Everyday for the last two months Naruto sat next to his grandfather and stared down at his suffering face and wished he could take away his pain. It hurt Naruto to know that he was dying and he couldn't save him, couldn't even take away his pain.

His grandfather was dying from lung cancer. It had seemed that he would live, that the treatment was working. But eventually the horrible truth made itself known, and his grandfather's tenuous health deteriorated and he ended up in the hospital, leaving Naruto to watch.

Naruto held his grandfather's wrinkled hand and smiled tremulously. At his grandfather's encouraging nod, Naruto started to talk about his day.

#$Y$&&#($#

Later that night Naruto lay in bed and tried to ignore the eerie silence that enveloped the house. He thought about the extra credit and what he had to do. He would get all the information he needed, no matter what. He was going to graduate from school! He would!

End of chapter

A/N: Okay, so that was depressing. I know that Naruto was out of character and such, but this IS an AU!

This story is going to revolve mostly around Sasuke and Naruto, so don't be detoured by Naruto's grandfather's illness.

If you liked this than please review! All feedback is welcome!


	2. The Silent One

Wow, people actually like this fanfic. Thanks for all the kind reviews. I am sorry that I've taken so long to update. My life has been hectic lately. My boss has been scheduling me thirty-one hours a week, and when you're a freshman in College…yeah, that's not good. Much anger on my part. And if he doesn't stop giving me so many hours soon someone's going to get hurt. Hint, hint.

Okay, enough of my evil ranting. I just want to make something clear: YES THIS IS A YAOI FIC BETWEEN SASUKE AND NARUTO. I'm so original. Sasuke and Naruto is overdone. But I can't help myself. I've always wanted to write one.

12:37 AM is a strange time to get inspired to update. All randomness and spelling errors are blamed on my current state of exhaustion.

**The Sound of Silence **

_Chapter Two: The Silent One_

Naruto was exhausted. He had spent the last two hours sitting beside his grandfather and talking himself hoarse and attempting to avoid what needed to be done. He didn't want to go to a mental hospital and stare at someone who either couldn't, or wouldn't speak. It was too creepy for words and as of right now, Naruto didn't have room for weird in his life.

Finally his grandfather had told him to leave. Naruto had protested, because time with his grandfather was limited, and he wanted to stay with him as long as he possibly could. But his grandfather had other ideas, and practically shoved Naruto out of the room. Well not really, since he couldn't get up, but Naruto had **felt **like he had been forced to leave.

The mental asylum was creepy. Well technically Mercer Medical Facilities was disturbing. The building consisted of faded bricks and the grass was overrun with weeds. The windows looked dirty and unwashed, and the front door creaked loudly when Naruto opened it, nearly making Naruto jump out of his skin.

The inside wasn't in any better condition than the outside. The walls were a depressing shade of gray, contrasting oddly with the sterile hallway, and the uncomfortable plastic chair Naruto was sitting in while he waited for the secretary at the desk to notice him.

Naruto tried to ignore the light flickering annoyingly above him. He wondered if he should run away. But he couldn't afford to fail psychology. If he did than he wouldn't graduate. That was why he was here, right?

"Ummm, can I help you?" Naruto started when someone spoke to him. He realized belatedly that the secretary had spoken to him. Feeling stupid, Naruto climbed to his feet and walked over to the secretary, who looked bored.

"I'm here to do a report on a patient in the hospital." The secretary stared at him blankly, making Naruto sigh. His psychology teacher had said she had called and talked to someone about Naruto's project, but she had obviously been lying.

Naruto dug around in his pocket until he found what he was looking for. He held a crumpled piece of notebook paper in his hand and squinted in the dim light, trying to read his teacher's messy scrawl.

"I'm here to see Sasuke Uchiha." The secretary was still staring blankly at him. Naruto wondered if she was dumb. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Naruto, she popped her gum loudly, and staggered to her feet, motioning for Naruto to follow.

Naruto tried to ignore the dull, uninspiring atmosphere, and equally stagnant people occupying Mercer Medical Facilities. It was way too depressing for Naruto to register, and so he chose not to take notice.

Finally the secretary stopped in front of an oak door with "U, S" emblazoned into the wood. She unlocked the door with a key Naruto hadn't noticed she'd been holding, and ushered Naruto inside.

"Oh, by the way, my name's Kristen. Sorry about earlier, I've had a long day and I've been spacing since I got here. I'll be seeing you a lot, or so I've heard. And good luck with Mr. Uchiha. He's not very talkative." Naruto blanched and Kristen blushed. "Sorry, poor choice of words."

Kristen walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. Naruto turned and looked around the room. It was a lot better than the rest of the institute. The walls were painted a pale blue, and large bay windows, barred of course, let in the setting sun.

A large bookcase, overflowing with worn books and magazines took up most of the left wall, and a twin bed rested under the windows, the blankets, also blue, strewn carelessly on the floor.

Naruto started when someone exhaled sharply. It was then Naruto noticed a silent teen staring at him intently, black eyes curious. The teens skin was as pale as snow(his name is Sasuke, Naruto reminded himself), his black eyes contrasting strangely with his otherwise unremarkable face.

Sasuke's hair, as black as a raven's wing, was wild and unkempt, and nearly fell to his shoulders. Sasuke wore a white shirt which made him appear even paler, if that was possible, and baggy green jeans.

"Hi Sasuke, my name's Naruto Uzumaki. I'm here to do a report on you." Sasuke stared at Naruto, saying nothing. Which, Naruto supposed was to be expected, since Sasuke hadn't spoken in three years. "Kristen let me in," he continued unnecessarily.

Sasuke sighed as if **he **was suffering from Naruto's rambling. Naruto watched, finally quiet, as Sasuke walked over to his bed and sat down, drawing his legs to his chest, and resting his forehead against his knees. Sasuke exhaled and wrapped his arms around his knees, ignoring Naruto.

Naruto groaned and sank to the floor, frustrated. He didn't know what he had been expecting. Had he really thought Sasuke was going to walk over to him, shake his hand, and tell him everything? If Sasuke was still living at Mercer Medical Facilities than the doctors hadn't gotten anything definitive out of Sasuke, and hadn't been able to make a breakthrough.

He couldn't give up, though; he **had **to get enough information out of Sasuke to write a decent report. If he didn't than he wouldn't graduate with Sakura, and he wouldn't be able to visit his grandfather whenever he wanted!

Naruto smiled, determination filling his body. He bounded to his feet and sat down next to Sasuke, nearly knocking the older teen over. Sasuke uncurled himself and glared at Naruto, his eyes flashing with anger. Naruto grinned, undeterred.

"Okay, Sasuke, we need to get some things out in the open. I'm here because I need to do a report on you, okay? I need you to tell me what's happened to you, and than I'll write a paper on it. Well, you don't talk, so maybe you can write it? Is that okay?"

To Naruto's surprise Sasuke jumped to his feet and stared at Naruto, his eyes narrowed. Sasuke looked pretty cute with his cheeks flushed red with what Naruto could only suppose was rage. He wondered idly why the hell he was thinking Sasuke was cute.

All thought fled Naruto's mind when Sasuke's fist connected solidly with Naruto's cheek. The force of the punch sent Naruto flying backwards and his head connected with the wall.

_Ouch, shit, that really hurt. What did I do to deserve that? Geeze Sasuke must be PMSing or something. Okay, mental note, Naruto, do not piss Sasuke off anymore. Though I don't know how that is going to be even remotely possible since I need to find out stuff about him. My psychology teacher must really hate me…_

Naruto rubbed his cheek, wincing when it throbbed painfully. He sighed and stared at Sasuke mutinously. Sasuke flipped him off and turned his back on the younger teen. Naruto groaned. This was turning out to be a long day.

&$&((

Two hours of talking to himself. Naruto had never known that someone could grow tired of themselves. After maybe a half an hour of silence and staring at Sasuke's back, Naruto had felt like he was going to go mad himself, and perhaps join Sasuke in the institute, if someone didn't say something, **anything**.

Sasuke wasn't volunteering, so Naruto, bored out of his mind, started talking, saying anything that came to his mind. He spoke of his mother, his father, school, music, the girl next door that he thought was kind of hot, TV, ice cream, UFO's, random crap that popped into his mind.

Sasuke, either because he couldn't ignore Naruto or perhaps out of a small margin of interest, turned towards Naruto and fixed his black eyes on him. Naruto became nervous and rambled more than before.

Naruto, for lack of anything better to talk about began to speak about his dreams. "I've always dreamt of traveling around the world. You know, see foreign countries, maybe cure some diseases, or marry a princess." Naruto grinned when Sasuke let out a laugh. Well, he wasn't sure if it could be classified as a laugh, it was something between a cough and a hiccup.

"Yeah, I tend to aim high. Or ya'know, maybe find buried treasure. Or become the president." Sasuke definitely laughed at that. "You should laugh more, Sasuke. You look younger."

Sasuke's mouth tightened and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Naruto wondered if he was going to get hit again. The door flew open, startling both teens. Naruto stood when he saw Kristen standing in the doorway.

"I'm here to collect you, Naruto. Mr. Uchiha, your food is on its way up. And after that, Doctor Forster wants to speak with you."

Naruto waved at Sasuke and walked from the room. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he could feel Sasuke's eyes boring into his back. He was glad he was getting the hell out of the room and away from the mute teen.

Kristen escorted Naruto to the exit. She seemed anxious to leave and Naruto felt the same. She grinned shyly at Naruto before she walked back inside with a small wave.

"Wow that was odd." Naruto mumbled. If observing Sasuke went the same as today than he was going to need to invest in some Advil. He had a feeling he was going to be getting a lot of headaches.

**End of Chapter**

_Kristen is an original character, but she does not play a major part in the story, so don't worry about that._

_I liked the Naruto/Sasuke interaction in this chapter, I'm kind of proud of it._

_All comments/reviews are welcome! Next update….eventually!_


	3. Going Back

A/N: Well I'm back again after another long stint. Sorry for the delay. I am lazy when I know I need to update. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please leave a comment. All feedback is welcome!

**Warning: Aside from the obvious cough yaoicough beware of EXTREME ooc characterness from everyone…sorry, guys; I only have a rudimentary knowledge of the manga. This is also an AU fic so I hope you can excuse me for the differences in characterization from the manga.**

I don't know if they're still reading this, but I honored "Dark Toy" who asked for Sasuke to call Naruto 'dobe'. I managed to work it in. Thanks to "Katariun" for the wonderful, constructive criticism!

The following is my way of showing scene changes and/or time skips:

()(()(&)

**The Sound of Silence**

_Chapter Three: Going Back_

"**S**o how did it go Naruto?" Sakura asked. She raised her eyebrow questioningly when Naruto groaned and shook his head. "It couldn't have been that bad, right?"

"Well he didn't say anything, Sakura and he's kind insulting…" Sakura laughed and Naruto glared at her. "That's not helping and you know it."

Sakura's body shook with the force of her suppressed amusement. "How can someone who doesn't speak be insulting? That seems impossible, Naruto." She smiled her thanks when Naruto held the door to their science class open for her.

Naruto sighed as he followed Sakura to their lab table. "He was rolling his eyes at me and I even got punched!" He glared when Sakura snorted at him. Sometimes Naruto wondered why he still talked to Sakura. And he knew why.

She had stuck by him for so long, and helped him through his darkest days. She spent hours sitting beside Naruto as he held his grandfather's hand, not speaking, simply lending her silent support. She talked to Naruto when no one else would, not because Naruto was unpopular or hated but rather because Naruto was afraid to make friends fearing they wouldn't understand the tragedy waiting to happen.

"Well what am I supposed do, Sakura? If this guy won't speak and also refuses to write what happened to him, how am I supposed to get enough material for an essay?"

Sakura bit her lip as she sat down, contemplating. "It's for Psychology, right, Naruto? Maybe you're supposed to observe Sasuke, you know? Interpret his thoughts and his body language? Maybe even try and read between the lines?"

Naruto hugged Sakura, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "I understand! You're brilliant! I'm supposed to try and figure out what's wrong just by watching him!"

"You'll do fine, Naruto. I have faith in you."

()&)&))

"I met that guy I'm supposed to do a report on, Grandpa." Naruto whispered, stroking his sick relative's clammy hand. "I have to go and see him again right after I leave. I hope you'll wake up in the next couple of minutes, but I doubt it. I just want to let you know, Gramps, that I love you."

Naruto kissed his Grandfather's forehead as he climbed to his feet, biting back tears. Despite his best efforts they slid down his cheeks. His Grandfather was on medication to dull the constant pain cancer caused and it seemed that the doses of the medication climbed higher every month. And as the amount his Grandfather took increased, the time he stayed awake decreased.

A sense of dread filled Naruto. Though he wanted to be optimistic, Naruto knew he couldn't delude himself. His Grandfather's death was drawing closer, like a shadow blotting out the sun's rays.

&(((&(&(&

"It's good to see you again, Naruto!" Kristen said cheerfully, her gray eyes dancing. "It's so boring here without you. It makes me sad, but these poor people hardly, if ever, get visitors. I spend most of my shift sitting here."

Naruto looked at her curiously. "What are you supposed to be doing?"

Kristen laughed as she motioned for the blond teenager to follow. "I was hired to be a secretary, but the phone almost never rings. I do paper work, but only once a week, on Fridays. Until it's time for the patients to eat, I just read. It gets boring. Aside from Doctor Forster and a few orderlies, there's no one to talk to."

Naruto's stomach fluttered nervously when Sasuke's door came into view. He inhaled sharply and held his breath hoping to quell the nervous fluttering. Seeing his apprehension, Kristen patted his shoulder comfortingly as she opened the door. Knowing he couldn't delay the inevitable, he stepped inside.

The room was dimly lit and Sasuke sat huddled in blankets, his lithe form shuddering. Even though he had just met the teen, Naruto felt apprehension at Sasuke's shaking. Kristen frowned, concerned, and peered at Sasuke.

"This isn't good," She mumbled, trying to smile reassuringly at Naruto. "I'll go and get Doctor Forster. It may take a little while, so try and comfort him, okay?" Kristen didn't wait for Naruto's reply, shutting the door before the teen could ask her **how **he was supposed to calm Sasuke down.

"Hey, are you all right?" Naruto asked hesitantly, kneeling down beside the shuddering teen. Sasuke flinched when Naruto tried to touch his shoulder. Naruto withdrew his hand quickly and settled down beside Sasuke, patting the blanket near Sasuke's foot.

"I guess you're having a bad day, huh? Kristen's going to go and get your doctor, so I'm with you until then." Sasuke didn't respond, but than, Naruto hadn't really expected him to. "I bet you're lonely, huh? Everyone needs someone, right?"

He sighed and rested his head against the wall. Sasuke was still trembling but his black eyes were peering at Naruto, his gaze curious. Encouraged by Sasuke's response, as small as it was, he continued speaking. He didn't know what to say, so he rambled, but Naruto figured his rambling couldn't harm Sasuke.

"I have my Grandfather, but he's dying," Naruto's breath hitched and a sob tore at his throat. "He's my only living relative. My parents died in a car crash when I was young, and I barely even remember them. It hurts sometimes, because I try and picture their faces, and I can't. I remember my Mom's eyes, they were so blue and pure, and I guess I inherited them from her. All I can recall about my dad is his deep laugh. I used to imagine that's how a gnome or some small creature would chuckle."

Sasuke snorted and Naruto smiled at him, his eyes sparkling. Naruto didn't notice Sasuke had stopped shaking and his full attention was focused on Naruto.

"After they died my Grandfather took me in. He's kind. He rocked me when I woke up screaming for my Mom and Dad. Gramps took me to movies and helped me with homework, even took me for walks. He's like my second dad, and I love him.

"I found out three years ago he has lung cancer. I don't know how he hid it from me for so long. He went through chemo, you know? And it seemed like it was helping. His hair was growing back, and color was returning to his face.

"And then he went into remission. When I look at him I see death. It's like daggers through my heart every time I sit near his bed and he struggles to speak, gasping for breath. And the past couple of months, he's been sleeping, so doped up on medicine to numb the pain he doesn't even know I'm there. And soon…he's going to die, and there's nothing I can do…"

Naruto broke off, sobbing, tears dripping down his face. Sasuke stared at Naruto before reaching over hesitantly, his hand shaking. Naruto stiffened at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder, but than he relaxed and placed his own on top of Sasuke's.

Naruto relaxed as he felt warm breath caressing his skin, and against his will he turned and faced Sasuke. The teen's skin gleamed in the pale light and his eyes were as black as coal. Naruto's eyes were riveted and he felt as if he were sinking into their bottomless depths.

"Thank you," Naruto whispered. Sasuke quirked his eyebrows in what Naruto guessed was confusion. "I know you don't know me, or, well, even **like** me, but you still took the time to comfort me. That means a lot, you know?"

Sasuke ripped his hand away from Naruto's shoulder as if burned. The teen's face was flushed and his eyes were shooting sparks. If looks could kill Naruto knew he would be dead. He needed to make a mental note: Sasuke was extremely touchy.

The door flew open and Kristen rushed in, a chubby man with a piggy nose and cruel eyes close behind. Sasuke seemed to withdraw inside himself the moment he caught sight of the doctor. Naruto was shocked at Sasuke's rapid withdrawl.

"He, um, seems better," Naruto said uncertainly.

"Who are you? Only authorized personnel and family can visit patients."

"Doctor Forster, I told you, Naruto Uzumaki has permission to visit Mr. Uchiha." Doctor Forster glared at Kristen and she flushed under his stare.

"Regardless," the doctor said, looking down at Naruto, who bristled under the doctor's dismissive stare, "you need to leave. Mr. Uchiha is in no condition to be seeing…friends."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Kristen shook her head 'no' behind the doctor's back. He sighed and stood reluctantly, trying to catch Sasuke's eye, but the teen pointedly ignored him.

Kristen shut the door behind Naruto, smiling apologetically. "You did a good job calming Sasuke down, Naruto."

"I don't understand why Doctor Forster wouldn't let me stay. Sasuke doesn't seem to like the doctor."

Kristen laughed. "He doesn't like anyone. He tolerates people."

Naruto disagreed but he left. There was nothing else he could do. He wondered why he felt as if he'd let Sasuke down.

()))&)))

_The blonde teen left the room and Sasuke wanted to call "Don't go! Don't leave me alone with this man!" Despite his resolve the words refused to come. He was as mute as a mouse, and was unlikely to speak again. _

_He had only seen the idiotic blond one other time but already Sasuke felt a sort of camaraderie with the teen. Granted he was annoying as hell and he pissed Sasuke off but…if only he could form words! There was so much Sasuke felt like he would say if given the chance. _

_Yet Naruto had left Sasuke alone with the doctor. How he hated the man! He was a pompous monkey faking concern for the teen and pretending he gave a damn about Sasuke's well being when all he wanted was the fame and recognition he would gain if Sasuke was 'cured'._

_The first person Sasuke had begun to feel close to-against his will, of course-had turned tail and fled from the room, leaving Sasuke alone. Why was he always by himself? Did the world truly hate Sasuke that much? Yet here he was, in a cold, dank room, with no one but the idiotic doctor for company. _

_And if he could have Sasuke would have screamed with all the misery and pain consuming him._

()()&))&()&)))

He couldn't get the silent teen out of his mind. And the feeling that he had failed Sasuke wouldn't leave Naruto, either. If he had had the choice there was no doubt in Naruto's mind, he wouldn't have left Sasuke alone with Doctor Forster. Given the chance he would have stayed and held Sasuke's hand.

Okay, maybe not hold his hand, Sasuke wasn't a child. Naruto was one hundred percent positive if he even tried to hold Sasuke's hand he would be punched. After all, hadn't Sasuke clobbered him the first time they met?

Regardless of how frustrating Sasuke was, he did have a job to do. If Naruto wanted to pass Psychology than he was going to have to learn to read between the lines, as Sakura had suggested. And in order to do that he needed to become familiar with Sasuke's facial expressions, as well as his mannerisms.

The downside to his plan was that learning so much about someone took a lot of time, which was the one thing Naruto didn't have. He was going to have to visit Sasuke more and spend all of the time they had studying Sasuke. Hopefully that would work and within a couple of weeks he would be able to read Sasuke like a book.

Or so Naruto hoped. So much depended on his success. If he wanted to keep visiting his Grandfather without fear of failing classes and staying back, than Naruto needed to get a good grade on his extra credit project. So Sasuke had better cooperate, or else Naruto didn't know what would happen.

Naruto sighed and punched his pillow half-heartedly. It was late; well after midnight, and light from streetlamps bathed his room in golden light. Physically Naruto was exhausted, yet mentally his mind wouldn't quit, running around like a hamster on wheel.

Naruto wasn't certain how long he tossed and turned, thoughts flooding his mind. Emotions tormented him. He felt sad for his Grandfather, rage at Sasuke's stubbornness, love for his Grandfather and Sakura, envy at his classmates and the normalcy of their lives; and finally regret for the lost childhood he could have had if his parents were still alive.

Naruto was grateful when sleep finally claimed him and he was immediately seized by a dream.

"_Let's go!" Sasuke said, or at least that's what Naruto thought Sasuke said. His lips moved but no sound emerged. Sasuke was as quiet and voiceless as he was in real life, but somehow, in this dream world, Naruto knew instinctively what the other teen was saying._

_He followed Sasuke, captivated by the lithe body walking ahead of him, his steps long and sure. Sasuke's short black hair shone like a Raven's wing in the morning light, his skin milky white. He looked like an ethereal being and Naruto couldn't have looked away if his life had depended on it._

"_Where are we going?" Naruto called. Sasuke didn't respond and Naruto kept following. They stopped in a clearing and sank down into the soft, green grass. Sasuke rested his hands on top of his head, his black eyes peering at Naruto almost curiously. And while he didn't do anything to indicate it, Naruto felt depression emanating from the teen. _

"_You're lucky, you know," Sasuke mouthed. It was eerie seeing Sasuke mouth words and hearing nothing, yet knowing what Sasuke would have said. "You have a life, friends. I am trapped here." The teen pointed at his head. He let out a throaty laugh at the blank look on Naruto's face. _

_Naruto's stomach clenched and heat flooded his body. A wave of something like desire flooded Naruto's body leaving him confused and weak. He wanted to run, flee from Sasuke's quiet sadness, and yet, at the same time, Naruto wanted to stay._

"_I'm trapped inside my mind, dobe," He smirked when Naruto sputtered angrily. "I cannot speak and those around do not understand what I want. I am a prisoner."_

"_How can I help?" Naruto asked, surprising himself with the urgency in his voice. It didn't make sense; he knew this was a dream, that this encounter wasn't happening, and yet, he felt compelled to help. He __**had**__ to. _

"_Set me free, Naruto. The door to my mind is locked, but you have a key. I've only met you a couple of times, and yet you've already gotten more of a reaction out of me then the doctor," Sasuke spat the word 'doctor' like it was something disgusting. "I want to be free, Naruto. I want to join you in the real world."_

_Naruto leaned towards Sasuke, his eyes peering into bottomless black depths, and he felt dizzy and almost disoriented by the fierce emotion burning in those orbs. "I'll help you, I promise."_

_The smile that spread across Sasuke's face made the teen fairly glow. Naruto's breath caught in his lungs. Naruto felt his cheeks heat. The fluttering in his stomach grew in intensity._

"_Save me, Naruto…"_

_&)))&))_

Naruto awoke with tears wetting his cheeks and stinging his eyes. He felt restless and tired his arms and legs like lead. He brushed away the tears angrily and sat up, running a shaking hand through his blonde hair.

As he dressed for school the dream kept replaying through his mind. He wondered if he could keep his promise, or would he fail? Naruto wasn't sure; he knew, however, he would try his hardest.

_"Save me, Naruto…"_

**End of Chapter**

Author's note: One note about the dream: Sasuke wasn't speaking. Naruto "heard" the words in his mind, almost like they were talking telepathically. Sorry about any confusion.

Next update is whenever I get around to it. I will try not to take too long, though. But I can't make any promises.

Oh, and please review. I want to know if people actually want me to continue. Because if you don't, than I don't have to spend so much time writing something no one is interested in.


	4. A Confession

Oh my God, this chapter killed me. I rewrote it FOUR times before I got it right. I hope everyone likes it, because this took me an eternity to get done.

Also thank you to everyone who took the time to read this, and review it, too. I also want to thank the persons who took the time to email me and asked me if I planned on continuing this. Believe it or not, that motivated me to get this down faster(Though it still took me forever to finish…).

"_Choke choke again  
I thought my demons were my friends  
Getting me in the end  
They're out to get me  
Since I was young  
I've tasted sorrow on my tongue  
And this sweet sugar gun  
Does not protect me_

_That's right  
Trigger between my eyes  
Please strike  
Make it quick now_

_Wait  
I'm coming undone  
Irate  
I'm coming undone  
Too late  
I'm coming undone  
One looks so strong  
So delicate  
Wait  
I'm starting to suffocate  
And soon I anticipate  
I'm coming undone  
One looks so strong  
So delicate"_

---**Coming Undone, **Korn

**The Sound of Silence**

_Chapter Four: A Confession_

**H**e didn't want to go back. Naruto was man enough to admit he was nervous about seeing Sasuke again. The silent teen made Naruto nervous and almost afraid. And after the dream Naruto'd had three days ago-had it really been that long?-there'd been a constant feeling of dread sitting in his stomach like a rock.

Sakura wasn't helping matters. She'd been asking Naruto everyday if he'd visited Sasuke. She seemed obsessed, almost, with Naruto's assignment, and had taken to carrying a small black notebook with her, which she whipped out with frightening speed, whenever Naruto so much as mentioned Sasuke.

Her questions, while infuriating, forced Naruto to think about his assignment and the responsibility that lay with it. He had accepted the work because he needed to pass Psychology. And why had he wanted the extra work? It was simple; if Naruto didn't pass the class than there was the very real possibility he would fail his senior year and need to repeat the year. If Naruto had to repeat the year than he wouldn't be able to visit his Grandfather.

"I'm avoiding Sasuke," Naruto said, slamming his lunch-tray onto the wooden table. Naruto's eye twitched when the little black notebook appeared, like magic, in Sakura's hands. He exhaled sharply as he sat beside his best friend, feeling his anger melt away under his pink haired friend's excitement.

"And why do you think that?" Sakura asked, brushing a strand of her pink hair behind her ear. She sounded so serious, her gaze so intense that Naruto felt as if he were talking to the Principal, or a doctor.

"Well, ever since I practically broke down and cried on Sasuke's shoulder, and had that dream, I've been reluctant to visit again. I know I have to, Sakura," Naruto said quickly when his friend glared, "But I'm…"

"Embarrassed?" Sakura interjected, stifling a giggle when Naruto groaned. Why was Sakura making him confess everything when it was so horribly embarrassing?

"Fine, Sakura, yes, I am embarrassed. It's mortifying to loose control in front of someone you don't know, and aren't particularly comfortable around. He probably thinks I'm a big loser!"

Sakura rolled her eyes but didn't comment for which Naruto was eternally grateful. They ate their lunch in companionable silence, each teen lost in his or her own thoughts. The churning in his stomach increased when Naruto realized he had to visit Sasuke today. He had allowed too much time to pass; he'd wasted moments he could have used to analyze Sasuke's behavior and moods and instead hid like a small child.

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Naruto followed Sakura into the crowded hallway. "I'm going back today." Naruto told Sakura as they found their seats at the back of the classroom. The subject was health and Naruto usually slept through the period and copied down homework assignments and notes from Sakura, who was actually interested in the material.

"Hopefully your absence will have made the heart grown fonder!" Sakura chirped. Naruto doubted it.

))&)&)&))))

It was with a heavy heart and sweaty palms that Naruto pushed the door open to Mercer Medical Facilities and smiled when he caught sight of Kristen. The young woman's face brightened and she practically jumped to her feet and skipped over to Naruto.

"I was wondering if you were going to come back!" Kristen said, glaring at Naruto, who flushed under the weight of her disapproval.

"Sorry," he said, face red and eyes downcast. "I wasn't sure if I was coming back. My friend helped me come to my senses."

Kristen's eyes softened and she patted Naruto's shoulder. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk. Sometimes this place makes me angry. It's not fair that these people have been abandoned by their friends and family. I'm glad you're not like them."

Naruto remained silent and followed Kristen. His eyes widened as Kristen led him past Sasuke's room and into a large sitting area. The furniture wasn't new, but the chairs and couches looked inviting if a little threadbare. The walls were a calming soft blue and a large screen TV was right in the middle of the room, volume obnoxiously loud.

At least half a dozen patients were scattered across the room, the most Naruto had seen the whole time he'd been visiting. Two orderlies observed the patients and wore matching bored expressions on their faces. Kristen swore under her breath at their indifference.

Naruto flushed when he felt Sasuke's eyes on his. Kristen led him over to where Sasuke was playing chess with a red haired patient, dressed all in black. The patient's red hair and pale skin drew attention to the Japanese kanji, love, carved onto his forehead. Naruto started when he realized the man was muttering to himself, his gaze focused over Sasuke's shoulder. A large gourd leaned against the red haired patient's chair.

"Don't touch his gourd," Kristen whispered. She smiled cheerfully. "Good afternoon Sasuke and Gaara."

Sasuke inclined his head and otherwise ignored Kristen. Sasuke moved a chess piece. Gaara's eyes flickered at the board and he hesitantly moved a piece across the surface. Sasuke smirked and knocked Gaara's piece away. Gaara's eye twitched.

Naruto sat down beside Sasuke in the only available chair and watched Sasuke and the mumbling teenager, Gaara, play chess. The game had just started, Naruto could tell by the number of pieces still present, but it was obvious even this early Sasuke was going to win. Gaara didn't seem interested in the game, spending the majority of Sasuke's turn peering over the dark haired teen's shoulder, or touching the gourd at his feet. And when it was Gaara's turn, he moved whichever piece was closest to him.

Sasuke eventually grew frustrated(or Naruto thought he did; it was hard to tell when Sasuke didn't speak. His twitching eye seemed a good indicator of the teen's annoyance)and stood up and slammed his chair against the table. Gaara watched, fascinated, as the wooden pieces wobbled and fell off the table and onto the floor with a soft 'ping'.

Naruto sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon.

))&))))

Sasuke didn't go back to his room. Naruto rested his head against the couch cushion, trying to ignore the musty smell tickling his nose, wincing as his head throbbed viciously. Sasuke reclined next to him, his eyes glued to the TV screen, absorbed in a rerun of _The Daily Show with Jon Stewart_.

Watching television with Sasuke was an interesting experience. It was almost creepy sitting beside the mute teen and hearing nothing from Sasuke except his soft inhales and exhales. Since Sasuke didn't fidget Naruto almost forgot Sasuke was beside him until the teen shifted or coughed and than Naruto practically jumped out of his skin. In fact, the most noise Sasuke made was when he flipped through the TV channels, eventually settling on Comedy Central.

Half way through the program Gaara joined them. Gaara was distracting in a way Sasuke wasn't; the red haired teen muttered to himself and refused to sit still for more than a minute; and, most distracting of all was Gaara's eyes which, for whatever reason, focused on Naruto with unsettling intensity.

About half way through the show, Naruto started dozing off; Jon Stewart's voice a pleasant hum in his ears. Sasuke was a warm weight to his left. Naruto fell asleep with a grin on his face.

&(())

"….Strange one, Gaara!" A loud, manic cackle had Naruto jumping off the couch, his heart racing. Naruto rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He glanced curiously at the girl standing in front of Gaara. She was pretty, with blond hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail, piercing blue eyes and pale skin.

"Ignore her Mother," Gaara mumbled, rocking back and forth in distress. The girl cackled again. Gaara flinched. Naruto saw Sasuke out of the corner of his eye, watching Gaara and the female with wide, unblinking eyes.

"Aw is Gaara talking to his Mom again? Doesn't he realize she isn't there?" Gaara wailed and hunched in on himself, his nails digging into his forearms. It reminded Naruto of a frightened child trying to hide from something upsetting.

Naruto didn't think; he just reacted. He was in front of Gaara and shoving the female back before he could tell himself getting involved was a bad idea. "Leave Gaara alone!"

_Where are the orderlies? They're supposed to be watching everyone and making sure no one gets into trouble._

"Who are you? Oh well, it doesn't matter!" The girl cried, another high pitched, shrill laugh escaping her lips. Naruto winced but didn't back down. Gaara was still whimpering behind Naruto, but he had at least stopped rocking. The teen was thankful for small miracles.

"I'm here because…" Naruto began, but he fell silent under the female's intense eyes. Coupled with Sasuke, who was staring at him **again**, Naruto fell mute. What had he been thinking, anyway? What was he hoping to accomplish? This was an insane asylum, to be blunt, and he could be fighting with a serial killer or an extremely unstable person. He could get himself killed.

"I guess it doesn't matter who you are," the girl was saying, her hands on her hips. She was hoping from foot to foot, and Naruto had to fight back a wince every time she got close to him. "You're sticking up for Mr. Crazy over there, and that makes you a fool!"

Naruto stared. Her nickname for Gaara was weird and completely out of the blue. It made Naruto even more certain he was in over his head. The girl was scaring him but he didn't want to show it. Her smile was so wide it looked like it was going to shatter her face.

"You know that Gaara thinks that gourd is his Mother, right? He talks to it all the time! He feels responsible because his Mother died right in front of him and he did nothing. He went crazy!"

"No!" Gaara said.

Naruto turned and saw Gaara was shaking, his face pale and his eyes wide and dilated. Naruto reached towards the distraught teen, wanting to offer comfort, but Gaara recoiled from his hand as if it were something poisonous.

"Ino!" Kristen cried, sweeping into the room, Doctor Forster close behind. "Leave Gaara alone." Kristen sighed and massaged her neck when she saw how distressed Gaara was. "Oh no, Doctor, we're going to have to sedate Gaara. He's all wound up."

Sasuke moved to Naruto's side and pressed close, their arms touching. He watched as Gaara was led from the room, Kristen hunched under the weight of the gourd. The teen turned and waved at Sasuke and Naruto, which shocked the blond haired teen; he hadn't realized Gaara had noticed him. Sasuke didn't wave back, but his lips twitched as if he were fighting off a smile.

Doctor Forster was struggling to get Ino to cooperate. The girl wasn't assisting; she seemed to delight in frustrating the doctor. "I don't want to go back to my dull, boring room Mr. Piggy! It's dark and uninteresting!"

Naruto snorted. The pug nose Doctor glared but otherwise remained silent. Sasuke was a silent shadow at his side, his arm still touching his, and all of a sudden Naruto felt out of place. He opened his mouth to say something, anything to Sasuke, but Doctor Forster interrupted, insisting it was time for Naruto to leave.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed but he followed the Doctor and Ino out of the living area. And just like Gaara, Sasuke paused and looked back at Naruto. His eyes were dark and inscrutable, but Naruto felt, all the same, as if Sasuke was saying goodbye.

Naruto waved.

&()))

Sakura was ecstatic the next day during lunch. Naruto had been running late and had barely made it to homeroom in time, so he hadn't had an opportunity to speak with his pink haired friend.

"So let me get this straight," Sakura began, taking a sip of her chocolate milk. The small black notebook that Naruto secretly loathed was open, Sakura's neat letters spilling across the page in blue ink. "You went back and not only did you meet Sasuke, you also met another patient, Gaara, and a girl, Ino?"

Naruto nodded. "Gaara was the polar opposite of Sasuke. He talked constantly, and when he did speak it was almost always to a gourd at his feet. Ino said he thought the gourd was his mother, and I think also that Gaara felt he was responsible for her death?"

Sakura added what he'd said to the notebook. "How did Sasuke react to Gaara? Did he seem comfortable with him? What were they doing?"

Naruto thought back to when he'd entered the sitting area. "They were playing chess. I wouldn't say they were buddy-buddy, but Sasuke wasn't tense and angry with Gaara like he is with the Doctor or silent and focused like he is around me. I would say he was almost blasé."

Sakura bit her lip thoughtfully. "What about Ino? How does she fit into everything? Is she Gaara's friend?"

Naruto snored and nearly choked on his sandwich. "Oh, no, Sakura; anything but. She was taunting Gaara. He was almost afraid of her, and I don't blame him, either; she was scary."

"What did Sasuke do? Did he react in any way?"

"No; I intervened. I tried to touch Gaara's shoulder and he flinched and moved away from me. Kristen had to take him out of the room."

Sakura's pen flew across the notebook's page. "What was Sasuke doing while you were sticking up for Gaara?"

"Um," Naruto closed his eyes and tried to recall where everyone had been. Gaara had been cowering on the couch; he'd been in front of Ino, blocking the girl from the frightened teen, and Sasuke had been…

"Sasuke was staring at me. And when Kristen and the Doctor came into the room, Sasuke moved over to my side. Our arms were touching."

Sakura laughed at Naruto's embarrassment. "I think, Naruto, you have piqued his interest. Hopefully, with a little more work, you'll be able to break Sasuke out of his protective bubble and find out what makes him tick."

(&(&(&(&

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Kristen said after Naruto shut the front door; "Ino isn't supposed to interact with Gaara. She upsets him."

"It's okay." Naruto said, shrugging out of his jacket and hanging it up.

Kristen wrung her hands. "I don't know where the orderlies were; they're supposed to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen. Ino's a manic depressive. Her moods swing everywhere; and with Gaara, who is schizophrenic, they clash horribly."

_Ino was manic depressive_. That explained both her creepy smile and insanely good mood. And of course, Gaara's muttering and rocking fit what he knew of schizophrenia.

"You're going to have to wait here, Naruto; Sasuke's in his therapy session with Doctor Orochimaru. He should be done in a couple of minutes."

"Who's Doctor Orochimaru? I've never seen him."

Kristen looked up from a thick textbook(**The World of History-Volume Two**)and blinked. "Who? Oh, Orochimaru. He is Sasuke's therapist. He evaluates Sasuke's mental health twice a week. He's a creepy man; I don't like him. I think it's because of his snake tattoos."

"Snake tattoos," Naruto mumbled. "Why not?"

&)))))

'A few minutes' turned out to be forty-eight minutes. They dragged. Kristen was too busy reading for her Western Civilizations class to talk; Gaara was no where to be seen, though given his mental state yesterday when Naruto had left, the teen could understand why Gaara wasn't around.

Mercer Medical Facilities was eerily silent; the only noise was the sound of the ticking clock and Kristen turning the pages of her textbook. Every now and then there was the sound of a patient shuffling around or a car rumbling past. God, he was bored. If he had known Sasuke was in therapy he would have stayed home and done homework. Instead he was wasting time here, twiddling his thumbs.

The telephone's loud ring had both Kristen and Naruto jumping to their feet. "Oh!" Kristen cried and picked the phone up. Naruto nodded when Kristen waved him over. He waited patiently as Kristen finished and hung up.

"Sasuke's back in his room. Doctor Orochimaru said I could bring you over, but only if the visit is brief."

"Why? Does Sasuke have another meeting?" Naruto asked. He watched Kristen unlock Sasuke's door. Her eyes were sad.

"No he's angry. He always gets like that after his sessions."

Naruto didn't know what to say. He shut the door behind him.

&))))

Sasuke was curled up on the floor, two small, golden trophies in his lap. His hair hid his face from Naruto's curious eyes. Naruto noticed the way Sasuke tensed and than relaxed when he realized Naruto was the one in his room.

"What are those?" he asked, sitting down Indian-style, his knees touching Sasuke's. He was pleasantly surprised Sasuke tolerated the touch. He almost seemed to lean closer.

Naruto didn't reach for the trophies, though he wanted to. Curiosity was gnawing at his insides, but a patience Naruto didn't know he possessed had him staying still. This time **he **was the one staring at Sasuke, his gaze intense.

The silence stretched between the two teens. Sasuke finally looked up, his head moving slowly. His eyes searched Naruto's. Sasuke tensed again, his hands almost clenching convulsively around the trophies before he relaxed and leaned back against the bed behind him. His eyes still held Naruto's captive.

Naruto reached for the trophies, moving slowly, giving Sasuke every opportunity to move away or block Naruto. The teen didn't. He continued to watch Naruto, his eyes deep and black, and Naruto felt as if he were drowning in their bottomless depths.

His hand curled around the first trophie; Sasuke's left hand settled on top of Naruto's. His eyes burned into Naruto's. The teen felt as if Sasuke was searching for something in his gaze, or as if Sasuke were reading his very soul, learning his every secret.

Sasuke smiled, and Naruto blinked, dazzled. It was as if he were looking into the sun. The trophy was a heavy weight in his hand. Startled, Naruto looked down, the writing worn but legible.

_Uchiha, Sasuke_

_Most Valuable Player_

_Konoha Middle School Soccer Team_

"Wow Sasuke!" Naruto said. He was impressed. He would never have guessed Sasuke was the athletic type. "These must bring back some good memories!"

Sasuke nodded. He handed the other trophy over to Naruto and leaned over, his forehead touching Naruto's. They both looked down at the trophy. Naruto could feel Sasuke's breath against his cheek, the warm air causing his face to flush.

_Uchiha, Sasuke_

_1__st__ place_

_Javelin Throw_

_Konoha Middle Track Team_

"The track team too? You're something else." Sasuke blinked and shook his head fiercely. "What do you mean, 'no'? You have two trophies. Those aren't easy to come by!"

Sasuke's glare was dark and frightening, and yet, Naruto couldn't help but feel his heart clench painfully at the pain evident in his eyes. Not for the first time Naruto wondered what had made Sasuke mute, and what was preventing him from recovering.

"What happened to you?" Naruto wondered, his voice cracking. The teen flinched and stood up, backing into a corner. Naruto stood as well, sighing heavily. He had just been getting Sasuke to open up, and there he went, ruining the moment. Sasuke had thrown up another proverbial wall for Naruto to have to try and scale.

The rest of his visit was spent in silence. Sasuke stayed in the corner and stared at Naruto with his burning eyes. He looked away only once to grab a pen and a book, and scribbled something down.

As Naruto left Sasuke's room with Kristen, Sasuke stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, and shoved a piece of paper into his hands. The door closed and Kristen locked it before Naruto could ask a question.

&&)&)S(&(&(&

That night, Naruto held the paper with trembling hands, and read over and over:

**I think I'm beginning to trust you…  
**

End of Chapter

Sorry for the long delay. I have to admit; adding Gaara, Ino and Orochimaru to the mix was a lot of fun. I confess a couple more Naruto characters will make an appearance.

All feedback is welcome. I will try, once again, to get the next chapter up ASAP!

For your information(courtesy of Wikipedia) 

**Manic Depressive**:_Mania is generally characterized by a distinct period of an elevated, expansive or irritable mood state. People commonly experience an increase in energy and a decreased need for sleep. A person's speech may be pressured, with thoughts experienced as racing. Attention span is low and a person in a manic state may be easily distracted. Judgment may become impaired, the sufferer may go on spending sprees or engage in behavior that is quite abnormal for them. They may indulge in substance abuse, particularly alcohol or other depressants, cocaine or other stimulants, or sleeping pills. Their behavior may become aggressive or intrusive. People may feel they have been "chosen", or are "on a special mission", which are considered grandiose or delusional ideas. Sexual drive may increase. At more extreme phases, a person in a manic state can begin to experience __psychosis__, or a break with reality, where thinking is affected along with mood.__[16__ Many people in a manic state experience severe __anxiety__ and are very irritable (to the point of rage), while others are__euphoric__ and grandiose._

**Schizophrenia**:_ A __psychiatric__ diagnosis that describes a mental illness characterized by impairments in the __perception__ or expression of __reality__, most commonly manifesting as auditory __hallucinations__, paranoid or bizarre __delusions__ or __disorganized speech and thinking__ in the context of significant social or occupational dysfunction. A person experiencing schizophrenia may demonstrate symptoms such as __disorganized thinking__, auditory __hallucinations__, and __delusions__. In severe cases, the person may be largely mute, remain motionless in bizarre postures, or exhibit purposeless agitation; these are __signs__ of __catatonia_


	5. Vulnerability

Wow, I'm shocked at the amount of positive feedback I received for the previous chapter. Thank you so much!

One Note: I do not claim to be an expert on mental disorders. I am neither a doctor nor a psychiatrist. In the case of Gaara's schizophrenia and Ino's manic depression I am taking liberties. In most cases I am probably far off from how a person would in fact act if they were suffering from the disorder. So please, bare with me and try and overlook any glaring errors I make.

**And as always**: all feedback, positive and negative, is welcome. I'd appreciate it if you tell me what you think, but it's not necessary.

Enjoy!

"_Behind the glass,  
I watched the world...  
from cracks the blinds make when they're drawn.  
I watched the world for years this way,  
and that catches us up to this moment today._

_Quarantine!  
The rock and the hard place I'm between,  
Quarantine, Quarantine, Quarantine!_

_And it was you I did this for...  
I put the dead bolt on the door...  
understand I can't see you now...  
realize it's not to keep me in, but to keep all the sickies out._

_Quarantine  
Such an ugly word for what I mean  
Quarantine, Quarantine, Quarantine!_

_I heard you let some little flea  
give you that contagious disease  
you let him climb right on you two  
it's been plaguing me too!_

_La lala la lala la_

_La lala la lala laaa..._

_Realize it's not to keep me in, but to keep all the sickies out. "_  
--**Quarantined**, _Phantom Planet_

**The Sound of Silence**

_Chapter Five: Vulnerability_

**I**t hurt to see his Grandfather suffering and know he couldn't do a thing about it. Naruto had walked to the hospital after school, and had been sitting beside his Grandfather for the better part of an hour. The silence was starting to grate on Naruto's nerves, but he didn't know how to break it. Talking seemed superficial when his Grandfather couldn't respond; and really, what was he supposed to say? The weather was nice for this time of the year?

"You might feel better if you say something, Mr. Uzumaki." Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice sounded behind him. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you."

Naruto laughed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "It's okay Kakashi."

Kakashi nodding absently, patted Naruto's shoulder while glancing down at his chart. Kakashi had been his Grandfather's doctor for the two long, terrible months he'd been in the hospital.

Kakashi was young, or at least Naruto thought he was. He couldn't have been older than twenty-four or twenty-six. His gray hair, obviously premature, framed his tan face. His eyes were always twinkling, and he practically radiated cheer and goodwill. Naruto loved him because he was always frank and didn't try and hide his Grandfather's deteriorating health from him; and he always had a joke ready, and he seemed genuinely happy when he made Naruto laugh.

A scar ran down his face and under his right eye. Naruto had asked him about it three weeks after his Grandfather had been admitted. Kakashi, much to Naruto's surprise, had laughed after hearing Naruto's queries.

"_You see, three years ago, I went to a party and got trashed. On my way home from the event, I was swaying around, tripping over everything, even my own feet. I wasn't paying attention, or maybe I just didn't notice, but anyway, I walked out right in front of a car. It hit me, obviously. _

"_Both the driver and I were fine, but a piece of glass from the windshield hit my face, and cut me up pretty bad. The Doctors thought I was going to loose my eye. I recovered, and all I have from the accident is this scar, and the belief that some higher entity was looking after me. I haven't touched alcohol since."_

"You should try and talk to your Grandfather. It might make you feel better."

"I don't know," Naruto sighed, and stroked his Grandfather's hand. "I don't really feel like discussing my life with someone who can't hear me, or respond."

Kakashi's eyebrows rose at the bitterness in Naruto's tone. He didn't press the matter, for which Naruto was grateful. A couple minutes later Kakashi left with a soft 'goodbye', and Naruto felt as if he had disappointed the Doctor.

It didn't matter; Naruto left without saying one word to his Grandfather. He tried to tell himself his Grandfather would understand.

((((((((

He has ten days left to conclude the research on Sasuke. The stress was starting to get to Naruto. Naruto had discovered next to nothing about Sasuke, and what he had uncovered was useless in his report.

Yeah, it was awesome that Sasuke was opening up to him, but Naruto couldn't really write about that. Sasuke didn't like Ino, which was something, but once again, the discovery wasn't substantial enough for a report.

Sakura was helping out as much as possible, but even she was growing frustrated. They had been spending their lunch pouring over her notebook, discussing what she had written, trying to make the jumbled facts make some sort of sense. Naruto figured they had hit a brick wall and were not any closer to scaling it.

"I guess," Naruto said, sighing into his cellphone, hearing Sakura's answering sigh in his ear, "I'll have to go back tomorrow."

Sakura's laugh was quiet. "Was there really any doubt?"

"No, not really," Naruto said, and he wished he didn't sound so petulant. "I know running away doesn't solve anything, but really, Mercer Medical Facilities makes me uncomfortable, and so does Sasuke.

"I have to uncover Sasuke's secrets. I need to know why he hasn't spoken in three years. I guess I was hoping I wouldn't have to work so hard, and I could just write the damn report without having to do much detective work."

"Naruto..." Sakura's voice was sympathetic and Naruto did not need that from his friend. He wanted her to tell him everything was going to be okay, and yes, he did want her to help him. But her sympathy wasn't helping and it only made him feel worse.

Naruto inhaled sharply as he opened the door to his Grandfather's house and turned the hallway light on. "I guess on some level I had hoped I wouldn't have to go back, and that I wouldn't care. But I failed; I care about Sasuke, and that scares me."

Sakura's silence hung heavily on Naruto's nerves. He hadn't really believed Sakura would be able to solve his problems. That hadn't stopped him from hoping.

(((())))))

It was a little after elven when Naruto walked into the waiting area of Mercer Medical Facilities; Kristen was there, as usual. She smiled brightly when she caught sight of him, and jumped to her feet.

"Naruto! What a pleasure to see you!" She glanced at the clock and frowned when she saw the time. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Naruto flushed. "Uh, yeah, about that..."

Kristen waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not one to talk. I skipped my economics class to pick up an extra shift. I need the money since gas prices have gotten so outrageous."

Naruto nodded, pretending to agree. He was lucky in a way Kristen wasn't. Naruto didn't have to worry about a car or gas since he either took public transportation or walked everywhere. His Grandfather had been pretty well off, and had left Naruto a small fortune, so he wasn't going to have to worry about money for another couple of years.

"Okay, than!" Kristen said cheerfully; "Let me take you to see Sasuke. He's eating lunch with two of his inmates." Kristen elaborated when Naruto looked at her inquisitively. "Joining our silent patient is Shino Aburame, and Gaara, who has been asking when you'd be visiting again."

Naruto shivered as thoughts of his last two visits surfaced. While Naruto had indeed bonded with Sasuke, the rest of the visit had been nothing short of a disaster. Ino had traumatized Gaara and made a nuisance of herself; and, while Naruto had gotten Sasuke to open up on some level, the teen had shut down almost as quickly as he had allowed a hint of vulnerability to surface.

Ino had been frightening. Gaara, on the other hand, had been kind but trapped in his own world, unable to relate to his peers. Naruto liked Gaara, though, and was looking forward to seeing him again. But what would this Shino be like?

As if sensing Naruto's thoughts, Kristen spoke again, her hand resting on the door to the dining hall. "Shino is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I don't claim to know a lot about the disorder, I'm not a psychiatrist, obviously. From what I can tell, however, Shino is suffering from a very bad case, and his family, unable to deal with his condition, sent him here.

"They're hoping with the proper care and psychiatric help, they'll be able to take Shino home soon. He's one of the only patients that is visited regularly." Kristen trailed off bitterly. She sighed and pushed the door open.

Naruto followed mutely behind the girl, swallowing when he caught sight of Sasuke. The teen seemed to sense Naruto's presence; his eyes widened and he turned and fixed his burning gaze on Naruto, who blushed a deep crimson under Sasuke's stare.

"Good afternoon Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Aburame, and you too, Gaara," Kristen smiled and pushed Naruto into a seat beside Sasuke, Gaara to his left. Directly across from Naruto sat another silent teen, painfully thin in an over sized red sweatshirt and black wind pants hanging from bony hips; his black hair was a wild, curly mane framing his pale, milky skin. Black, expensive looking sunglasses covered his eyes.

What caught Naruto's attention, however, was the way Shino, much like Gaara, hunched away from the persons at the table. Shino seemed to startle easily; he jumped when Naruto scraped his chair noisily across the floor; he whimpered whenever an orderly walked by him. He seemed a second away from a full blown panic attack.

Wanting to put the teen at ease Naruto tried to smile. Shino shrunk away from Naruto as if he thought Naruto meant to harm him. Feeling lost and a lot out of his element, Naruto turned to Kristen for help; Kristen was, however, gone. Naruto groaned his frustration.

A dry derisive laugh had Naruto whirling around, startled. He stared, incredulously, when he realized it was Sasuke mocking him. Naruto couldn't decide if he should consider taunting laughter progress or not; at least Sasuke was doing something different and wasn't spending all of his time staring ceaselessly at him.

"Naruto!" Gaara's voice, loud and right in his ear had Naruto startling and turning sharply to face the teen. Gaara was definitely in better spirits; he wasn't hunched in on himself, and he didn't seem disturbed or frightened. Naruto was surprised at how happy he was to see a smile on Gaara's face.

"Hello, Gaara. I'm happy to see you again." Naruto said, grinning back at the teen. Gaara patted Naruto's knee, and Naruto yelped when he felt Sasuke's hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from Gaara.

Sasuke ignored Naruto's indignant splutter and wrapped his arm possessively around the struggling teens shoulder. Gaara tilted his head to the left and peered at Naruto curiously. Naruto flushed under Gaara's calculating eyes. He felt Sasuke press his mouth to his neck and he felt as if he had been shocked with a bolt of lightning; a pleasant warmth pooled in his stomach.

Gaara nodded his head, seeming to have came to some conclusion. He held up his hands in a placating manner and turned his attention back to his gourd, and Naruto turned crimson when he heard Gaara mutter, "Sasuke and Naruto seemed to have gotten together, Mother; I'm happy for them."

"You ass!" Naruto hissed. Sasuke, unperturbed by Naruto's outburst pressed his hand harder against Naruto's shoulder and mouthed his neck. Feeling Sasuke's lips press into his neck, the touch of his lips as soft as a butterfly's wing, caused Naruto's brain to short out and his anger dissipated.

Naruto would bet all his money that was what Sasuke had been aiming for. Naruto groaned softly when Sasuke's lips ghosted across his flushed skin, and Naruto's breath stuttered and caught in his lungs when Sasuke turned his head and pressed his lips against Naruto's for one heart stopping moment. And than, all too soon, Sasuke's lips and warmth were gone, leaving Naruto feeling bereft.

Naruto turned to face Sasuke and his confusion was met with a smug smile. Naruto glared and Sasuke pressed his lips to Naruto's and, once again, all thought fled from Naruto's mind.

"Stop it! Stop deliberately distracting me!" Naruto hissed, glaring. Sasuke smiled innocently and pulled Naruto back against his chest. Naruto couldn't help but wonder why he was letting Sasuke basically molest him with almost no objections. And, better yet, didn't he have a crush on Sakura?

It was all too confusing.

"All right you three," A soft voice had Naruto pulling away from Sasuke's warm embrace and climbing to his feet along with the three teens. "Time to go back to your rooms."

Naruto fell into place beside Sasuke and Gaara, watching as two orderlies led Shino into a separate room. A chubby orderly, who looked only a few years older than Naruto motioned for Gaara to follow him, and he did without a word, his hands clutching his gourd to his chest.

Naruto felt uncomfortable, unsure where to look. Butterfly's were doing the tango in his stomach and he felt lightheaded and flushed; he couldn't stop looking at Sasuke. His eyes moved over Sasuke's slim, pale body, and heat spread through him.

"Mr. Uzumaki," Kristen said, surprising Naruto. He had assumed Kristen had left for the day. "Do you wish to spend a little more time with Sasuke, or do you plan on leaving?"

Naruto felt Sasuke stiffen beside him. Naruto flushed under the combined weight of Kristen and Sasuke's stares; he was frozen, his mind blank, unable to make a decision. And then Sasuke seemed to make it for Naruto; his fingers encircled Naruto's wrist, and before he knew what he was doing, he was telling Kristen he planned on staying.

Sasuke's lips twitched as if he were fighting a smile. Kristen beamed at him as she unlocked the door to Sasuke's dark room. "All right then," She said cheerfully, "You have an hour. Sasuke has group therapy then."

Naruto followed Sasuke into his room. The door locked behind them, plunging the room into darkness. Naruto shifted from foot to foot as Sasuke shuffled over to the wall and flipped the light switch. Naruto winced as his eyes adjust to the harsh light.

"What should we do?" He asked, feeling stupid as Sasuke blinked at him. And really, what had he been expecting? Sasuke to suddenly start speaking? He had a better chance of Sasuke standing and doing a jig for him.

"Um," Naruto stuttered, floundering for something, anything to focus his attention on. Sasuke's dark eyes were locked on his, and Sasuke was creeping closer to him. And his gaze was just **burning **into his skin like a brand. Naruto felt so full, as if Sasuke were possessing him. For the millionth time today, Naruto flushed.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly remembering his backpack. He had, after all, skipped school. Of course he had his course books with him. It was a little dull, but why not read to Sasuke? "I can read to you!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he looked less than thrilled. Sasuke probably thought Naruto meant that as an insult, but he meant anything but. _I'm so stupid_ Naruto thought disparagingly.

"I'm not insinuating anything; and I definitely don't think of you as a child," Naruto said soothingly as he motioned for Sasuke to sit beside him on the bed. Naruto resolutely forced back dirty thoughts. "It's just, I skipped class today to visit you, and I don't want to get behind on my literature class. Instead of just sitting here and staring at each other, I figured we could do something productive."

Sasuke looked pointedly at Naruto's lips and arched his eyebrow suggestively. Naruto could almost hear Sasuke's silent _Don't you think __**this**__ would be more productive?_ Naruto's battered copy of **Lord of the Flies** nearly slipped from Naruto's nerveless fingers.

Naruto told himself he wasn't disappointed when he read **Lord of the Flies**, ignoring Sasuke's silent proposition.

&((((

_So I'm attracted to Sasuke_ Naruto thought and he snorted at the gross understatement. _I definitely am still attracted to Sakura, but there's something about Sasuke that just draws me to him. There's almost this physical need for me to find out what's wrong with him and save him._

Naruto watched as a jagged bolt of lightning illuminated the sky outside of his window. The rain pattering against the roof was soothing; Naruto was so tired, but he couldn't quiet his mind enough to go to sleep.

_I have nine days left to finish this project. Eleven if you count the two days I'm going to need to type it up. I'm still no closer to having an answer to Sasuke's muteness. I wonder if there's anyway I can get him to open up?_

_And really? Why do I care so much?_

Naruto didn't have an answer, no matter how much he wanted a revelation to hit him. Of course one didn't come and Naruto finally fell asleep.

)(((

The following day, which was a Saturday, Naruto walked into the waiting area at Mercer Medical Facilities. He was shocked when he discovered Kristen wasn't working. Instead a dark haired girl was flipping through a worn issue of **People** magazine. She smiled shyly when she caught sight of Naruto.

"He-hello. C-can I h-help you?" She stuttered, her voice so quiet Naruto almost missed it.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki; I'm here to see Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto said.

"O-oh. Right this way. Kristen left me a note saying you might be visiting Mr. Uchiha. By the way, I'm Hinata."

Naruto nodded politely, wondering where Hinata's shyness went. Just as she was about to unlock Sasuke's door, it opened, badly startling her. A man, startlingly pale, stepped out of the room, a sneer on his face though it vanished when he caught sight of Naruto and Hinata.

The man had yellow slitted eyes and long, stringy black hair. He was dressed immaculately in a black designer suit, the suit jacket thrown carelessly over his arm, exposing the crisp, white pressed dress shirt. Naruto realized this must be Doctor Orochimaru when he caught sight of snake tattoos running up the Doctor's left arm and disappearing under the shirt sleeve.

Hinata confirmed Naruto's suspicion when she spoke. "Doctor Orochimaru, I was unaware you were visiting Mr. Uchiha."

The sneer was back on Orochimaru's face, though it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Hinata either didn't notice, or pretended not to as her face was placid and unconcerned. Naruto envied Hinata's ease and tranquility; he was, on the other hand, almost bristling with anger. He already loathed the Doctor. It was obvious, even though Naruto had just met him, Orochimaru was as terrible, if not worse than, Doctor Forster.

"Yes, I was, Dearie," Orochimaru said, and while his voice was polite, the contempt was obvious in his eyes. Hinata started but managed to keep a smile on her face.

"I-is it o-okay if Mr. Uzumaki se-sees Mr. Uchiha?" Hinata was stuttering again, flushing under the Doctor's open disdain.

Orochimaru's eyes flicked over to Naruto and Naruto's chin lifted and he squared his shoulders under the Doctor's roving eyes. He felt horribly exposed under those yellow slitted eyes; it was almost as if the Doctor were mentally undressing him. Bile rose in Naruto's throat, and he actually had to bite back a swear when Orochimaru licked his lips.

"Do as you please, but do not agitate Mr. Uchiha." Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively and turned on his heel and walked away without another word.

Hinata and Naruto let out a collective sigh of relief. He thanked Hinata profusely as she held the door open for him. And, for the second time in two days, he was back in Sasuke's room. Only this time he felt mentally unclean, almost as if Orochimaru had violated him in some way.

Sasuke was curled up in a corner of his room, his back to the wall. His black eyes were wide and haunted. He did not react in anyway when Naruto called his name. Naruto practically dashed across the room and crouched beside the silent teen. Sasuke blinked, but other than that small reaction, did not move at all.

Fear was a heavy, stone like weight in Naruto's stomach, and adrenaline coursed through his veins. A fierce wave of protectiveness rose inside of Naruto. Before he could consider the consequences he was drawing Sasuke into his arms and pulling him close. His chin rested on Sasuke's shoulder.

To Naruto's utter surprise, Sasuke allowed the embrace. He almost seemed to melt into Naruto's arms with a soft sigh. His breathing was labored as if Sasuke had run a marathon. Naruto rocked Sasuke as if he were a small child and hummed soothingly. Sasuke didn't cry nor did he wail or do anything dramatic. He just laid limply in Naruto's arms. And, if only for that moment Naruto was content.

Naruto wasn't sure how long he held Sasuke. But eventually Hinata came for Naruto, and he reluctantly allowed Sasuke to move away. The haunted look was gone from Sasuke's eyes and he looked less troubled and some color had returned to Sasuke's pale skin.

"I'm going to help you," Naruto whispered. Sasuke's eyes widened, and Naruto rushed on before he lost his nerve. "Orochimaru is a creep. I don't want him troubling you anymore. I swear to you, Sasuke, I'm going to do whatever it takes to assist you."

Naruto felt better than he had in a long while as he left Mercer Medical Facilities and started for home.

((+)(+)+)+)

"Something is definitely wrong with that Doctor," Naruto said for the thousandth time. Sakura made an affirming sound but otherwise remained silent. "I mean, he was really creepy Sakura!"

"I understand Naruto. You've been talking about nothing but this Orochimaru for the last hour." Sakura said patiently, her voice tinny over the phone. "Can we please talk about something else? Like, oh, I don't know, Sasuke **kissing **you?"

Naruto groaned and he buried his face in his hands. Sakura laughed and the sound drew a reluctant smile on his face. He had thought about hiding the kiss from Sakura, but the minute Sakura answered her phone, Naruto blurted it out. Sakura hadn't seemed disgusted by what had happened. She was still treating Naruto the same as she always had.

"I don't know. It just kind of happened. I mean, one minute he was kissing my neck and the next he was kissing me! I don't know what to think!"

Sakura snorted and Naruto blushed though his friend couldn't see. "What's so funny? At least you're not having a sexual crisis!" Sakura tried to suppress her laughter but Naruto could still hear it over the phone.

"I'm sorry." She smothered more laughter, "I have a question, though."

Naruto, worry plain to hear in his voice asked hesitantly, "Um, what?" _Did Sakura want to stop talking to him?_

"Do you still want to help Sasuke because of the report, or are you ready to admit that you actually care about his well being?"

"I want to help him, and I'm going to help him no matter what my personal feelings may be." Naruto surprised himself with how steady and determined his voice was.

"Good." Sakura said, pleased. She stifled a laugh when she added, "Than I give you two my blessing." Naruto swore at her and they argued playfully.

((((

Two days later, on Tuesday, Naruto greeted Kristen. It was four PM and he had about an hour and a half to visit Sasuke, and than he had to rush to see his Grandfather. He told Kristen his plans after she stood and motioned for him to follow her.

"I need to ask you something," Naruto said hesitantly. Kristen stopped so suddenly Naruto almost ran into her back. "It's about Doctor Orochimaru."

Kristen tried and failed to hide her disgust. She smiled sheepishly when Naruto shot her an amused look. It was a relief to see he wasn't the only one weirded out by the lecherous Doctor.

"Does he seem, I don't know, kind of strange to you?" Kristen wouldn't meet his eyes. "Because Sasuke seemed, I don't know, off...or something, after the Doctor left his room."

Kristen was still avoiding Naruto's gaze and it was starting to piss him off. For the first time Naruto was growing impatient with the girl. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them no matter how much Kristen fought him.

"You said to me a couple of visits ago, that Sasuke was always angry after the Doctor visited him, and that you thought Orochimaru was creepy. Well, Sasuke wasn't angry this time, he seemed almost agitated and closed off. Why is that?" Kristen was now staring at her feet. Naruto felt rage choking him. He pressed on relentlessly, watching Kristen's face; "Do you think the Doctor is...doing things to him?"

Kristen blanched and went deathly pale. "No!" She cried vehemently. "If I thought for one second Doctor Orochimaru was sexually abusing Mr. Uchiha I would have spoken up ages ago! The orderlies may not care about the patients, but even they wouldn't ignore a Doctor molesting a patient!"

Naruto felt awful. He had basically just accused Kristen of allowing Orochimaru to molest Sasuke and turning a blind eye. "I'm sorry Kristen," Naruto said remorsefully.

Kristen wiped away tears sliding down her face and smiled tremulously. "It's okay. I can understand your frustration; I know Doctor Orochimaru is one creepy lecherous man. And while I haven't gotten Sasuke to open up to me like you have, he does trust me. I can feel it. And there's no way in hell I would let someone to abuse that poor man.

"I will, however keep a closer eye on Mr. Uchiha after the Doctor's visits. It is possible that I've missed some signs of another kind of abuse. He could be verbally abusing Mr. Uchiha, maybe. And if so, than he could be fired for that kind of mistreatment."

Naruto smiled gratefully. While Kristen was still pale and had dried tears on her face, she seemed to have forgiven Naruto for his false accusations. Kristen had brought up a good point. If Orochimaru was mistreating Sasuke in some way, if it could be proven, and if some evidence could be found, than the Doctor would be fired and never be able to bother Sasuke again.

He would keep his eyes open and try and pin something damning on the Doctor. It was important that Naruto do this one thing for Sasuke. Besides, hadn't Naruto promised he would help Sasuke out, no matter what?

(((((

Kristen led Naruto outside and to a closed off, grassy area. Sasuke was leaning against a tree a short distance from the door. Shino, sitting beside Gaara and close to Sasuke, was watching ants. Gaara was pulling up blades of grass and mumbling to himself.

Kristen smiled at the three teens fondly and waved goodbye to Naruto. After greeting everyone, Naruto leaned beside Sasuke, wondering what he should say. Should he mention his suspicions regarding Orochimaru? Or should he tell Sasuke about his talk with Kristen?

Before he could gather the courage to speak, Sasuke reached into his pocket and drew out a yellowed, ripped piece of paper and pressed it into Naruto's hand. Naruto could only stare, dumbfounded at Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled and kissed Naruto's hand. His eyes were closed off, however, and Naruto couldn't read his expression. And than Sasuke's lips were pressed against Naruto's once again, the texture of Sasuke's lips already familiar.

Time held no meaning as Sasuke's lips moved against Naruto's, leaving Naruto weak and shaking, but pleasantly so. When Sasuke lifted his head reluctantly, Naruto had almost forgotten what he had been stunned about. He was left smiling and dazed.

Gaara, who had stopped plucking at the grass noticed the piece of paper clutched in Naruto's hand, spoke up. "Oh," he said absently, "Are you going to read that? That's a clipping from the newspaper and explains why Sasuke's here. He never leaves his room without it. He must really trust you, Naruto, to be showing you that."

Naruto was stunned as he stared at the piece of paper in his hands. He held the article that explained not only why Sasuke was here, but also why he had stopped talking.

End of Chapter

_This chapter is thirteen pages long! By far my longest chapter yet!_

_Um, yeah, sorry guys. I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk ending this chapter here. I just feel like it's the best place to leave off. This chapter has been edited to death. I didn't even include everything I had originally planned to._

_I hadn't planned to have Sasuke kiss Naruto. It just kind of crept up on me and it seemed to fit so perfectly that I decided to keep it in. Also when Naruto was discussing Orochimaru with Sakura, I had originally intended for the conversation to be longer, but I just felt it was overkill since Naruto confronted Kristen with the molestation allegation in the very next scene. I felt I was beating that horse to death...or something._

The next chapter will include:

-Sasuke's silence is explained

-Orochimaru talks to Naruto, which causes Naruto to stumble across a secret between Orochimaru and Doctor Forster(I cut this scene out of this chapter)

-Gaara's siblings show up, but what do they want?

_Next update will hopefully be by the end of August, but I am a lazy person so I won't make any promises. I can definitely say it won't take me five months to write the next chapter like it did for this one. Sorry guys!_


	6. Tis the Truth I'm Seeking

Well, here I am again, with an update, **finally**. And it only took me a little over eight months. Sorry everyone! I had this chapter planned out for awhile, but when I sat down to try and write, I didn't like what I had, so I scrapped what I'd written, and changed the outline. Again.

**And as always**: all feedback, positive and negative, is welcome. I'd appreciate it if you tell me what you think, but it's not necessary.

Enjoy!

That's just like me when every thing's gone wrong  
To latch onto something even less stable, less good  
I needed an anchor for my sinking ship  
It's just like me to attach it to my heart instead

I think this was a test  
To see how long I could hold my breath  
I understand, but I gotta remind myself  
That even at my worst I can keep my head  
Alone I stand  
United we fall apart  
One union under God  
But not for long, thankfully

That's just like me when everything else fails  
To go for the gold, the unattainable goals  
Enoughs not enough when you're beat to the floor  
As if heartache's not heartache enough anymore

I think this was a test  
To see how long I could hold my breath  
I understand, but I gotta remind myself  
That even at my worst I can keep my head  
Alone I stand  
United we fall apart  
One union under God  
But not for long, thankfully

When we were young we never cared  
And now we're scared of jumping in  
Like we've forgotten how to swim  
But if we try and if we tread  
then we can teach ourselves again  
'Cause it's worth the chance we take  
When we were young we never cared  
But now we're scared of jumping in  
Like we've forgotten how to swim  
But I think that we should try and we should tread  
'Cause if we never take another dip again  
We'll never know the joy that failure brings

----**Thankfully**, _Bayside_

**The Sound of Silence**

_Chapter Six: 'Tis The Truth I'm Seeking_

**T**he paper shook in Naruto's hand, and really, holding the truth in a shaking fist was not how Naruto had imagined he would discover Sasuke's secret. When Naruto had allowed himself to think about how he would find out Sasuke's secret, he'd imagined Sasuke suddenly finding his voice and telling him everything.

But really, that fantasy was ridiculous. Sasuke had not said a word in three years, so as much as Naruto might hope and pray for Sasuke to find words, that would probably never happen. At least not now, and certainly not in this moment of time with Naruto holding a newspaper article in his hand.

"Are you going to read it?" Shino asked, sounding almost bored. Naruto started; he'd forgotten the other teen was there. In fact, if Shino had not spoken, Naruto doubted he would have even noticed the three teens around him, so absorbed was he in his thoughts.

Naruto swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, and steeled himself for the truth, as his eyes scanned the crumbled, yellowed paper.

_Sasuke Uchiha: Mentally Unstable?!_

_Fifteen year old Sasuke Uchiha, son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, shocked his parents and subsequently the whole town, with accusations of molestation. The young Uchiha accused his teacher, Mr. Ubiki, of propositioning him and touching him inappropriately._

_Mr. Ubiki, aged 54, is a respected teacher, loved by the town and his students, is shocked and hurt by Mr. Uchiha's claims. "I just don't understand where Sasuke got these ideas. I would never raise my hand to a student, let alone touch one in a sexual manner." Mr. Ubiki toold "The Rising Sun"._

_Fugaku Uchiha, who became mayor after his wife died from pneumonia when Sasuke was three, became mayor shortly after. He's led the town through two economic crises, and helped raise money to rebuild the town after an earthquake devastated the neighborhood. _

_When asked by "Rising Sun" what he thought of his son's alleged abuse at the hands of Mr. Ubiki, Fugaku said, "Sasuke is out of his mind. He's never recovered from his Mother's death. He is mentally unstable. I plan to send him to a mental facility where he can get the help he needs."_

_Sasuke was unavailable for questioning. Mr. Uchiha has plans to run for reelection, and it remains to be seen how this scandal will affect his running in the election._

)*)*)*)*()*)*

Naruto, shocked and appalled, could only stare at Sasuke. He was sure the horror and disgust must be visible on his face, but Naruto was powerless to hide it. What kind of sick freak would claim his son mentally unstable rather than believe his son's claims? Was being mayor that important to Sasuke's father?

Sasuke, who'd sat down in the grass while Naruto read, looked away. He seemed to fold in on himself, like a roof caving in under a heavy weight, and he refused to meet Naruto's eyes when the blond haired teen kneeled in front of him.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered, trying to catch Sasuke's attention. The mute teen refused to look at him. "Why won't you look at me?" Sasuke shuddered as if cold and shut his eyes stubbornly.

Naruto was at a loss as to what he should do, and his hands clenched convulsively. "Sasuke..." Naruto whispered forlornly. Sasuke remained motionless beside Naruto and his eyes remained closed.

_It must be hard for Sasuke,_ Naruto thought, his mind racing. _He's not used to being scrutinized, and it must scare him now that I know everything._ S_o he was molested by a teacher_. It didn't even occur to Naruto to consider Sasuke was lying. From what he'd seen of Sasuke, the teen was honorable, and there was no way he'd make up something so awful about a respected man just for fun or out of malicious intent. There was no "ifs ands or buts". Sasuke was telling the truth.

And then it was as if the proverbial light bulb lit up above Naruto's head, and with sudden clarity, Naruto realized why Sasuke was acting so withdrawn. Sasuke thought Naruto was disgusted by what he'd read. And, trying to protect himself, he put his walls back up, walls that Naruto had worked so hard to scale, in a desperate attempt to distance himself from the rejection Sasuke was sure Naruto was going to give him.

That couldn't have been further from the truth. It was going to take a lot more than perverted old men and a greedy father to make Naruto leave. Now that Sasuke was finally beginning to trust him, Naruto had every intention of sticking around until he had enough information for his essay, and maybe, just maybe, Naruto would continue to visit after his project was done, and there wasn't an excuse that had long ago stopped being a real excuse for Naruto to visit.

Naruto's mind closed off before he could think about continuing to see Sasuke after his essay was completed. Those were thoughts for another day, when he was alone, and Sasuke wasn't right next to him looking like a kicked puppy. Right now, Naruto needed to make Sasuke realize how stupid he was being.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered, framing the teen's face in his hands and forcing him to look up. Sasuke's eyes were a deep tar black, and they were shining with tears. Sasuke's pale face flushed as his eyes met Naruto's. Naruto's heart clenched painfully at the hurt and embarrassment plain to see on Sasuke's face.

"There's no reason to be afraid," Naruto rushed on when Sasuke gritted his teeth and his body tensed as if he were going to pull away; "I don't blame you, nor do I think you were lying. I'm appalled your Dad either didn't believe you, or refused to see the truth because he was more concerned about his political career."

Sasuke inhaled and his eyes that once again met Naruto's were positively burning. Sasuke's face was open and vulnerable, his eyes wide and so very wounded. The vulnerability, clear to see, tugged at Naruto's heart, and all he wanted to do was pull Sasuke into his arms and never let him go. The world was a cruel place and it seemed everyone and everything was determined to break Sasuke down one piece at a time. Naruto refused to become a minority. He wanted nothing more than to protect Sasuke and keep his secrets safe.

Sasuke moaned low in his throat and burrowed into Naruto's arms, his own arms winding around Naruto's body, tight as steel bands. The heat from Sasuke's body seeped into Naruto's, warming skin and limbs Naruto hadn't even realized were cold. Sasuke's black hair brushed Naruto's face with every breath he took.

Time seemed to slow down and Naruto felt so comfortable he never wanted to move again. Sasuke seemed to feel the same way, if the noises he made were any indication. Naruto realized their hug, and the way Sasuke almost seemed to be trying to get as close to Naruto as possible, could be classified as a lover's embrace. It was almost disturbing how okay with that impression he was.

Maybe with time they would become something more.

*_)*(_(_(_(_(

Sakura nearly screamed in his ear when Naruto told her what'd happened. It was five in the afternoon, and after about ten minutes Kristen had come, along with Doctor Forster, to take Sasuke, Shino and Gaara off to therapy. Naruto had been unable to decipher the look the Doctor had gave him, but what he did know was the glance had made his skin crawl.

"So you finally know, huh?" Sakura asked. "But I still don't understand why he stopped speaking."

Naruto took a bite out of an apple and chewed. He could hear Sakura flipping through a book, turning the pages too quickly to be reading the text. The silence between them was comfortable and not the least bit strained. Sakura knew, from years of friendship, Naruto was eating the apple in order to give him time to think.

"I don't know if it's because everything in my Psychology class is coming together, or if I know Sasuke better than I thought, but...I believe Sasuke stopped talking because he felt as if no one believed what he said, so he feels speaking is useless. And the reason why he still isn't speaking today is because he forgot how."

Sakura said nothing, obviously too stunned to speak. After a couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence, she finally found her tongue. "M-maybe you're going to help Sasuke talk again, Naruto."

Naruto had to cough a couple of times before his throat cleared enough to speak. "I was thinking the same thing." Neither Sakura nor Naruto could think of anything to say after that.

(_(_(_(_(_(_(

Hinata smiled shyly the next afternoon as she caught sight of Naruto. Naruto followed Hinata to Sasuke's room and shut the door behind him. Sasuke sat up immediately when he caught sight of Naruto. His eyes were still as intense as yesterday, though there was a weariness in them Naruto didn't like.

"I brought something for you," Naruto said as he dropped his backpack to the ground. "I hope you like it." Sasuke's eyebrow rose inquisitively. Naruto grinned and reached into his backpack and pulled out a battered book.

Sasuke reached for the book and sat back, clutching it to his chest. The book read **The Works of ****William Shakespeare**. His eyes were bright and happy, whatever weariness present before melted away by unadulterated joy.

Naruto went crimson under Sasuke's happy gaze. "It's nothing much," he said, embarrassed. "But I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do. I love William Shakespeare. He's my favorite author. **King Lear** is my absolute favorite play. I had a fantastic English teacher who explained everything so well, that the whole play was an absolute treat."

Sasuke grinned and motioned for Naruto to sit beside him, which he was only too happy to do. As Naruto settled beside the teen, Sasuke handed the book over, and settled into Naruto's side, his head resting on Naruto's shoulder. It took Naruto a moment to understand: Sasuke wanted Naruto to read to him, just as he had read **Lord of the Flies **a few days ago.

He turned to the correct page and began to read:

GLOUCESTER:

_It did always seem so to us: but now, in the  
division of the kingdom, it appears not which of  
the dukes he values most; for equalities are so  
weighed, that curiosity in neither can make choice  
of either's moiety._

_*_)(_(_(_(_

A warm weight pressed on Naruto's body from head to toe, and warm breath alternated between heating and cooling his neck. Naruto yawned and stretched aching limbs, the cotton sheets sticking to his sweaty skin. Lips pressed against his neck, and Naruto moaned and arched into the touch.

Footsteps walking past the door snapped Naruto back to himself, and he glared at Sasuke. The teens grin was unrepentant as he sat back. Naruto already missed Sasuke's possessive weight resting on top of his. Sasuke seemed to read his thoughts, and he made a 'tsking' sound. Naruto moaned as Sasuke's lips once again touched his for an all too brief, chaste kiss. The kiss seemed like a brand.

A faint beeping reached Naruto's ears and he blanched as he caught sight of the time. It was after seven, and he had to leave now if he wanted to be awake enough to do homework. Naruto still needed to catch a bus and walk a mile back to his house.

"I need to go now." Naruto said, regretfully. Sasuke visibly deflated, but he nodded his agreement, the book once again clutched to his chest. Naruto flushed; he'd gotten through the third part of Act I before he'd become too drowsy to read, and he'd laid back down, Sasuke curled almost protectively around him and promptly fell asleep.

Naruto practically fled the room, afraid he'd be tempted to stay longer. Maybe staying wasn't such a bad thing, but Naruto needed to remember: School came before anyone, even his Grandfather.

*)*)**_(_(

He almost made it outside of Mercer Medical Facilities, having already said his goodbyes to the blushing Hinata when he was stopped. Doctor Forster appeared out of nowhere and blocked Naruto's path. The pig nosed doctor had glared and ordered Naruto into his office. He'd considered refusing; he didn't like the man. Only the thought of not being able to see Sasuke again had kept his mouth shut.

Doctor Forster's office was lavish and expensive, which didn't surprise Naruto all that much. The desk, made out of expensive wood, was polished and gleaming; huge bay windows opened to a fragrant garden Naruto hadn't noticed in all of his visits. Rows and rows of folders were stored in a giant filing cabinet, the door of which was opened, papers spilling across the floor. The blatant disrespect towards his patients made Naruto's teeth clench in anger.

"So Mr. Uzumaki, I've heard a lot about you." Doctor Forster said. While his voice was casual, his eyes were piercing and cold. Naruto felt chilled to the bone.

"So?" Naruto said curtly, clenching his hands into fists. He fought the urge to fidget under the Doctor's disdainful eyes.

The doctor seemed to be mocking him. "Doctor Orochimaru and I have both noticed some alarming changes in Mr. Uchiha's behavior since you've began visiting." He continued before Naruto could ask him what he was talking about; "Mr. Uchiha has become most...unruly and violent. As a result, both the Doctor Orochimaru and I have agreed the best course of action is if you stopped visiting."

"What?!"

Doctor Forster smiled politely. The smile did not reach his ice cold eyes. Naruto wished the doctor would stop looking at him. "I do not think this request is difficult. It seems you care for Mr. Uchiha," The words 'though God knows why' while unspoken, hung in the air all the same. "I would think you'd want to do what is best for him."

"No!" Naruto cried. The intensity of his anger and fear at the doctor's words surprised him. Naruto had become so used to Sasuke's presence in his life that not seeing him again filled Naruto with a sense of dread. No, he needed to keep seeing Sasuke. The teen was too important.

Doctor Forster seemed surprised by Naruto's outburst. "No?" His eyebrow arched with his surprise. "I would reconsider, Mr. Uzumaki. Should you continue to impede Mr. Uchiha's treatment, things may become...difficult for you."

Naruto sat back as if he'd been slapped. "Are you threatening me?"

The doctor smiled nastily, though his words were courteous. "I will leave you to decide. Now, it is getting late. I think you should leave."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice.

(_(+()+)+)+)+)

Naruto was reeling from his talk with Doctor Forster. Dear God, had the Doctor really threatened him? What was going to happen to him should he continue to visit Sasuke? Was Doctor Forster going to have him eliminated, like in the movies?

"Excuse me," A female voice with a deep southern accent startled Naruto from his thoughts. He looked up. A woman with curly blond hair and emerald eyes smiled apologetically. "I'm looking for my brother Gaara. There was no one at the front desk, so I thought I'd try and find him myself."

"I think they'd be in the sitting area. He's probably with Sasuke. I'll show you where the room is."

"Thank you. My name is Temari. I'm Gaara's older sister." Naruto shook her hand. "Naruto. I'm an acquaintance of Gaara's."

Just like Naruto thought, Gaara was in the sitting area, watching Sasuke and Shino play cards. His eyes widened as he caught sight of his sister. Shino and Sasuke turned to see what Gaara was looking at; a smile spread across Sasuke's face as his eyes met Naruto's.

Naruto's phone vibrated. He answered, and was given some of the worst news of his life.

_(_(_+()+)+)+)

_Sasuke couldn't wait for Naruto to return. Though Naruto had been only gone for a little over an hour, he'd been counting down the minutes until Naruto returned. Today had been nothing short of fantastic. Naruto reading to him had been a pleasant experience, more so than the last time the dobe had read to him. _

_He loved resting his head against Naruto's shoulder and just breathing in his scent. And sleeping on top of Naruto had been unbelievably comfortable. Naruto was loud and infuriating, and often seemed to rub Sasuke the wrong way, but there was something about the teen that drew Sasuke to him. Sasuke thought he was becoming almost...fond of him._

_Shino was taking forever to put a card down. The way Shino was peering at his cards, one would think Uno was a difficult game that required serious contemplation, and not the fast paced kids' game it was. Sasuke rolled his eyes._

_Gaara's cry had both Sasuke and Shino turning around to see what was bothering the schizophrenic teen. Sasuke froze in disbelief as he realized Naruto was back. How could that be? Hadn't Naruto left a little more than a hour ago? Why was he still here?_

_Sasuke lept to his feet. Gaara led the way over to the blond haired woman and Sasuke's dobe. He waited impatiently for Naruto to finish talking on the phone. A soft, broken sound left Naruto's lips. Sasuke was alarmed as Naruto's cellphone fell from suddenly nerveless fingers and clattered to the ground._

_What's wrong? Sasuke thought. He wished he could say the words. Naruto looked devastated, his eyes staring at a point over Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke's hand only shook a small bit as he rested it on the teens shoulder. Naruto flinched, but seemed to accept the touch._

_Tears dripped down Naruto's cheeks. "He's dead, Sasuke. My Grandfather's dead. I'm all alone now." Naruto began to cry in earnest, great, hiccuping cries that shook his body. Sasuke drew Naruto into his arms. He kissed away Naruto's tears, his own eyes filling with tears. _

_Sasuke wished he could kiss away Naruto's pain._

End of Chapter

Okay, a couple of author's notes:

-I thought the chapter ending from Sasuke's PoV was best. It made Naruto's pain all the more tangible, and fit perfectly.

-The whole **King Lear** talk came from my own experience with with my college professor Mr. Krozel. He made Shakespeare understandable, and I was actually excited to come to class every morning.

-Temari has a southern accent. As weird as that sounds, it makes perfect sense if you've ever watched the Naruto spoof called "True Naruto Style". In the video she says, I swear to God, "What in Texas hell fire is that boy doing up there?" I just had to add it. If you'd like to see the clip for yourself, than the link is available in my profile.

-And finally: I was originally going to have the rest of Gaara's brother's show up as well, but I got lazy. Oh well.

_Next update...I dunno when. Check my profile for status on the update. That's where I'll post the progress of my writing._


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